ECB cites 'trust deficit' as reason behind Pietersen's axing

The England and Wales Cricket Board has reportedly said that the need for England's players to 'trust each other' was one of the reasons for axing batsman Kevin Pietersen's international career.

The ECB's failure to explain its decision of releasing Pietersen early from his central contract has drawn a lot of criticism.

According to news.com.au, the board said that it wants to 'create a culture' in which Test and one-day captain Alastair Cook had 'the full support of all players'.

However, Pietersen was criticised for the manner of some of his dismissals, despite being England's leading run-scorer in the Test series down under.

The ECB initially refused to reveal its reasons for leaving him out of the squad for the tour of the West Indies and the World Twenty20, but in joint statement with the Professional Cricketers' Association, the board said that it was the time to rebuild the team after the whitewash in Australia.

In order to invest in Cook and supporting him in creating a culture where players give him full support, the board decided to move on without Pietersen, the report added.